Dining at a Cabaret

The Moulin Rouge in Paris was made famous by the movie starring Nicole Kidman, but the Lido on the Champs Elysées is also a historic cabaret. Actually, these two venues were originally owned by brothers in the mid-20th century. While the Moulin Rouge presents traditional cabaret with its signature French can-can, the Lido’s revues always feature three elements: water, cinema, and ice skating.

We attended the champagne dinner show which has three price points: a budget, mid-range, and premium option starting at about 140 Euros, so this isn’t a cheap evening. We were in the mid-range with banquette seating near the back of the room (cheap seats and poorly dressed patrons are sent to the balcony while premium patrons are down front near the stage)

You get a choice of half a bottle of wine or champagne with your meal, and two choices of starter, entrée, and dessert. I chose the chestnut soup, chicken with mushrooms, and profiteroles and a half bottle of red wine, since the champagne was a no-name brand I had never heard of. I noticed that premium patrons were getting Mumm’s so perhaps their menu was upgraded as well. I tried to take a picture of my entrée but a waiter rushed over and said no photos were allowed. We discovered later that the club had roving photographers selling pictures, which is most likely why guests aren’t allowed to have cameras.

The food was so-so, fairly typical of any dinner show experience. The show was a surprising spectacle of special effects, elaborate sets, and over-the-top costumes. Called Bonheur (meaning happiness), it opened with all of the banquette lights retracting into their bases and the whole seating area around the stage lowering into the floor, while a giant feathered egg glided across the ceiling depositing the lead singer onto the stage. www.lido.fr